By MADDY VITALE
Sea Isle City police are asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects who vandalized the Dealy Field Skate Park and spray-painted graffiti in large areas.
Capt. Anthony Garreffi, officer in charge of the police department, said the incident happened during the early morning hours of Saturday around 12:25 a.m. into Sunday, June 5.
Garreffi said police believe that the two suspects are teenagers or in their early 20s. They drove away in what is believed to be a newer model dark-colored BMW 300 series.
“It is not the crime of the century, but we definitely want to charge appropriately the people who did this,” Garreffi said in an interview Friday. “Everyone should be able to enjoy the skate park, but there could be a point where we close off access to the skate park if it continues.”
An employee of the city’s Department of Public Works discovered the graffiti Monday morning, Garreffi said.
“It is city property, and it takes up manpower hours to clean it off and investigate it,” he said of the crime. “It took DPW manpower hours to clean it up and now I have my Detective Bureau working to solve the crime.”
Garreffi said it was not clear what the graffiti even meant.
“There was no profanity. It may be their nicknames,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense to us.”
On the Sea Isle City Police Department Facebook page, posters responded to the incident.
Fred Chick Andrews wrote, “Hope they catch them.”
Jeff Pollock asked, “Why do a few have to ruin things for all?”
Detective Sergeant William Bradshaw is in charge of the investigation.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information as to the identity or whereabouts of the suspects is asked to contact the Sea Isle City Police Department’s Detective Bureau at (609)263-4311.
